These deficiencies have contributed to high levels of stunting, wasting and underweight children.
Global micronutrient deficiency (as a percentage of the population). Two billion people in the world lack key micronutrients such as Vitamin A or iron. South Asia has the most critical malnutrition levels. Source: UNICEF

In 2016, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India released standards for the fortification of five staple food items: rice, wheat, salt, oil, and milk. Further to that, regulations are now in place to fortify milk variants such as low fat, skimmed, and whole milk with Vitamin A and D.

But despite its significant health benefits, and while established for more than three decades by companies such as Mother Dairy, a subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), milk fortification is not yet common practice across the Indian milk industry.

Over the last twelve months, this collaboration has enabled ten milk federations, dairy producer companies, and milk unions across the country to pilot milk fortification for their consumers. Fifteen others have initiated the process.

Now, the Jharkhand Milk Federation is a pioneer in taking up milk fortification.

In May 2017, the Federation started daily fortification of 13,000 liters of milk. Within one year, the Federation expanded daily fortification to 80,000 liters.

About six million consumers across the state now access fortified milk. In the long run, this initiative will likely improve the health and wellbeing of people of Jharkhand and serve as a showcase for other States wishing to accelerate their efforts in milk fortification.

The challenge remains to convert more milk in the unorganized sector to processed and packaged milk and eventually to fortified milk.

Also, there are other variants of milk such as cow milk and full cream milk available in the market for which fortification standards are not yet in place.

The progress achieved in scaling up milk fortification in India through the SAFANSI Milk Fortification Project has set up the base for dairy industry readiness for widespread milk fortification across India.

I wonder if that is the right way ahead - to drop some artificial vitamins in the milk, which is probably mainly bought by those who could anyway afford a proper balanced diet (based on vegetables and legumes with all the needed nutrients). The majority of undernourished children in the villages are not part of the commercial milk value chain, hence, do not benefit from it. It would make more sense to support the families (through awareness building and production support) to use good food, like e.g. carrots for Vitamin A or eggs for Vitamin D, and prepare it properly (like adding oil or cooking vegetable not to long). Fortification of commercial goods is neither effective nor efficient for solving hidden hunger.

We need to create awareness among the students on the fortified food available in the market and its benefits. Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation has been supplying Double Fortified Salt (Iron and Iodine) which is available in the fair price shops but people hesitate to buy the salt since they are neither aware that it is double fortified salt nor the benefit of consuming that salt. Likewise Fortified cooking oil is available in the ration shops but no one knows this oil is fortified with vitamins. We have created awareness among the general public and the students by using the Swasth Bharat Yathra. Health organisations, NGOs involved in coordinating School Citizens Consumer Clubs, ASHA Workers, Anganwadi Workers and RBSK medical teams need to be oriented so that they create awareness among the women, students and the general public.